Use this page when Bola hears you but is slow to enter your readings, or when the readings land on the wrong tooth once it catches up. It applies to the Bola desktop app and the Bola Chrome extension, whatever EHR (PMS) you use. Work through the steps in order. The first two fix most cases.
What this can look like:
Bola hears your commands but is slow to enter them in your EHR
When the readings do arrive, some are on the wrong tooth or the wrong site
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1. Call out smaller groups
Bola charts on a set cadence. A long run of numbers takes longer to process and can look like lag.
Call out two or three teeth at a time, in multiples of three, with a short pause between groups. For example: 323, 212, 545.
Say each group as one phrase at your normal pace, then pause until Bola catches up before you start the next group.
2. Line up missing and skipped teeth
The most common reason readings land on the wrong tooth is a mismatch between the teeth Bola expects and the teeth in your perio chart. It looks like Bola is:
Jumping to the wrong tooth
Adding bleeding to the wrong tooth or site
Entering pocket depths and gingival margins on the wrong teeth
Bola reads teeth marked missing with the letter "M" in your EHR. It cannot detect skipped teeth, such as implants, pontics or unerupted teeth, so you tell Bola about those yourself:
Before you start charting, mark the skipped teeth in the Bola app, or say "Mark missing" followed by the tooth numbers. "Mark Wisdom Teeth Missing" covers teeth 1, 16, 17 and 32.
During the exam, say "Skip" or "Next" to move forward one tooth.
Leave the tooth's status in your EHR chart as it is. You do not need to change it for Bola.
Every command is in the Bola Voice Command Reference. Skip and Next are not available on Fuse.
3. Check your internet connection
Bola needs a live internet connection to understand speech. We recommend at least 10 Mbps on the operatory computer.
If the result is below 10 Mbps, contact your IT team or internet service provider.
If every operatory slows down at the same time, the office internet connection is the usual cause.
4. Turn off Speak Back if you are not wearing headphones
With Speak Back turned on and no headphones, Bola can hear its own read-back through the speakers and treat it as a new command. Either wear headphones or turn off both Speak Back settings. Each article below has the steps for the desktop app and the Chrome extension:
5. Reduce background noise
A microphone that picks up the whole room, including suction and conversation, slows Bola down and causes misreads. Try charting when the room is quieter. If that clears it up, a noise-cancelling headset will help. See our recommended microphones.
6. Restart Bola and the computer
Close Bola completely and reopen it. If it is still slow, restart the computer at the end of the day or during downtime. Processes that hang or build up over a long day can slow every application down.
Still lagging after these steps? Email us at support@bola.ai with the date, the approximate time and the operatory, and we will look at what Bola heard.